The former Knicks sensation and new face of the Houston Rockets clearly hasn’t forgotten where he came from, even if he still seems a bit bewildered by the cosmic ride he’s been on since breaking through last season in New York.

And we hope he never does.

Hopefully Lin takes a page out of the book Grant Hill will write one day about being the consummate and humble pro that all burgeoning stars (willing and reluctant) should aspire to be.

“I don’t know if I’m the face of the franchise just yet,” Lin said, while surrounded by about 40 media members. “We’re a young team, and we’re all going to buy in.

“The thing about us is it’s not going to be any one person that is going to carry us where we want to go. It’s going to be everybody.”

But he has no choice.

This is real, young fella. Believe it, you are the face of the franchise … even though we love that you are pushing back on the idea. Because it will give you much more locker room cred if you don’t embrace the Texas version of Linsanity.

That said, Lin’s new reality comes with expectations that must be dealt with one way or another. Based on what we saw of him after the bright lights started shining in New York, we have every reason to believe he’s prepared for the challenge.

And he knows there will be plenty:

Lin’s greatest concern might have been the rapid acquisition of furniture, including an actual bed. He seemed much more comfortable than he often did in the New York spotlight or at the news conference following his return to the Rockets in July.

“I learned a lot in New York,” Lin said. “It happened so fast I think I learned (about) basketball, but I think I learned a lot about people, a lot about life. That’s was huge. On the outside looking in, it might have been all about the glitz and the glamour, but it was really tough for me to handle everything, from all aspects.

“The biggest thing (learned) is what it takes to be consistent every night and to do well every night. It’s one thing to do well once a week, twice a week, but to do it three, four times a week takes a lot of mental focus.”

Most players don’t carry that expectation. Still, by the third time he was asked about being “the face of the franchise,” he made it clear that he won’t view himself that way no matter how often that label is assigned to him.

He can fight it all he wants, and it might be his most admirable quality, given the things we’ve seen the spotlight do to others we thought might have the humble quality Lin seems to have in surplus.

But it won’t change the fact that he is and will be the face of the franchise in Houston and beyond (check below) until further notice.

36 Comments

This situation with Jeremy Lin has been a miracle. Almost no one knew who he was and he just exploded seemingly out of nowhere! And now he is sharing with the world who Jesus Christ is, and especially with a Chinese population that has not had much (free and uninhibited) exposure to Christianity. He obviously will make mistakes and sin as we all do, but let’s pray for Jeremy to stay strong for God through temptations, trials, and hardships! And for God to be glorified MIGHTILY through LINSANITY! GO J-LIN 7!

To make a Success, all players should buy in coach’s system. If somebody has ego, this team will have problem. So far I don’t think Lin is the leader, Martin and Parsons want to be leaders. Let them be. Lin can do whatever needed. The only difference is Lin has marketing value that other players don’t. Without him, not many people would but the tickets there.

I’m not Knicks fan any more. I’m big supporter of Lin and Rockets. Don’t worry about playoffs. As long as you try the best, we all support you. OKC didn’t playoff first but they succeed later. Go Rokets.

That’s what fans love Lin–always humble and low-key. He likes to play team ball not iso ball. Since this is a new team, there are many uncertainty. Are all the guys buying in the system? Do they like to play with Lin and Asik? I heard Kevin Martin thought he is the leader of this team. So how can Lin be sure he is the face of franchise? Coach Mchale is very important to make the team work together, not fighting each other. That undrafted PG- Machado bragged himself a lot and bevready to take over Lin’s position any time. So Lin is not the leader yet until everybody and coach made him. So far, I think Martin, Parsons all want to be the leaders. Oh God, help Houston teams support each other and no ego player here.

Exciting times to be a Houston fan! Sure the team probably won’t win a great deal this year, maybe not even next year. But with the level of talent already on the roster, and the potential to add more next year, the Rockets can be truly great in the future. (I hope).

I think Houstan will be a marquee franchise down the road, but right now, they need to take the next two years to develop their players, get another good rookie, and get used to the game style. Lin might be a problem. He is an amazing problem, bu you just don’t see people turning the balll over 7 times a game and steal 5 a game.

I hope Houston would get Sloan as coach. Lin, is almost the same as Stockton, no athleticism or any special skill, but a very cerebral and tough player. If Lin would’ve gotten Stockton’s smarts and ruthlessness through Sloan’s coaching, then he can be a really good PG in the NBA.

Alright, I get it, Rocket is a young team with many new NBA players and the expectations are low.

Well, isn’t Jeremy a Young player with few NBA experiences. I am confident that his Leadership (as he put it, lead by example and work ethic), other young player like him can and will develop into another Jeremy Lin. The most important criteria is: being humble, give glory to God and be a TEAM player. If all of his new teammates (new and old) have these qualities, and given their already possessed talent. They will exceed my expectations and will suprise many many doubters. THEY WILL BE PLAYOFF BOUND.

With this humble leader in the team, Rockets will play team balls with no ego within and become a dangerous young team.. Let’s go Rockets!!

BTW, the video is amazing! I thought the whole video was staged, but came out only the Hello Kitty part was staged. Compared to the Chinese news I watched in YouTube, the crowd in this video is relative small. yes, I am saying small. Looks like Rockets is becoming the most popular NBA team in the world. :)

As always, Jeremy has the right attitude about himself and his role, the right perspective of what to expect and strive at, and the right work ethic. With these combined…really can’t wait to see how this young team will come together and shrine. Let’s go, Rockets!

Lin knows he is the face on the franchise. He was just being modest and humble. He is not doubting his ability to be the franchise face. Lin always speaks in terms of team. He always gave props to the team even when he was in NY. Lin is going to be a great leader on/off the court.

kinda gives you the idea when “Don’t ever…” started watching basketball… same generation that thinks Kobe can even compete w MJ as GOAT, same generation that jumps in on “superteams”, same generation that loves superstar divas, same players who think it is the organization’s job to provide these “superstars” championships and not the other way around.